


Winter

by Orcish



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dog BB-8, Implied Phasma/Jyn Erso, Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, Kissing, M/M, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9637052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orcish/pseuds/Orcish
Summary: A chance meeting next to a frozen lake leads to Netflix and warm drinks.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write winter fic, so this is pure self-indulgence.
> 
> SPOILERS for DC's Legends of Tomorrow 2x11 Turncoat and Shadowhunters 2x06 Iron Sisters.

Hux ended the call and dropped the phone next to him with a sigh. Phasma had again decided that the weather was too cold for her and cancelled their plans. I wasn’t even _that_ cold – the meter showed -17C, and his preferred weather site suggested that it would warm up to at least -14C soon. A thicker sweater and a pair of leg-warmers to accompany his usual winter wear would be enough to make that bearable. 

He looked out of the window at the brilliantly shining sun – it wasn’t that long ago when the sky had still been dark during this time of day. He wanted to feel the sun on his skin and if Phasma wanted to be a quitter, he’d go out on his own. He’d leave their plans for later and only take a walk around the lake. He couldn’t take anymore studying and his exam was still several days away. 

He wondered, if he should put on another pair of long johns, but decided that since he was only going to the lake, the leg-warmers should be enough – his thighs might get a little red under the jeans, but he wouldn’t stay out long enough to really freeze them. Especially because his new winter coat came down to his knees and protected his ass and thighs more than the old one did. 

He pulled up the fluffy leg-warmers to cover his long johns and pulled on the dark blue jeans over that; the leg-warmers were a nice charcoal colour, so they wouldn’t have looked too horrible even on top of the jeans, but he preferred hiding them from sight. He felt that it was tacky to have them show, unless they were worn with a skirt. Phasma’s girlfriend had knit several pairs for her and she wore them a lot at winter – they looked fine with her artistic style. The ones Hux wore were also a present from Jyn. They were not good friends, but spent enough time together because of Phasma that they had gotten to know each other rather well – by now, he knew what to order for her at the local Indian restaurant, if she was in the bathroom fixing her windblown hair. She tended to switch between chicken korma and lamb gosht. 

He pulled on the thick sweater, added the coat on top of that and checked that he had his keys and some money with him. He hesitated when picking his scarf – it wasn’t that cold, but it was often windy at the lake, so his usual scarf might not be warm enough. He chose the thick, wide, woolen scarf he only wore during really cold weather and wrapped it around his neck twice before binding the ends together. At this point he was feeling so hot that he barely stopped to pull a hat on his head before heading out, thick gloves poking out of his pockets. He wouldn’t put them on before he took out the trash. 

The sun was shockingly bright – he was still not used to seeing it after the heart of winter. He swore when he realized that he forgot his sunglasses, but didn’t want to walk back up the stairs to his apartment to get them. He threw away the trash and let the container close with a clang. It wasn’t too bright – there were trees shadowing some of his usual route at the lake, so he should be ok. The sun was low enough that it wouldn’t take to the snow too brightly. 

He turned to walk out of the parking lot, looking in front of his feet to check for slippery spots, but the weather was cold enough that the ice was frosted over and his winter shoes held easily. Once he stepped off the pavement to the path leading to the lake, the smoothed out ice and snow turned into a thicker cover broken by blue shadows wherever people had walked - there were bike tracks all though it leading to the lake, and a few paw prints. A couple with a black dog was walking in his direction – he heard the snow crunch underneath their feet as they got closer. Hux smiled at the dog and ignored the people – he may be a cat person, but he could appreciate a cute dog. 

The lake was frozen over and there were tracks going over the ice – clearly some people had decided to take the shortcut rather than go all the way around. Hux preferred taking the long route, even when he was going somewhere rather than just enjoying the sun and the view; he knew that the ice beneath the snow was thick and would hold, but he still felt nervous – he didn’t like large amounts of water. He looked over the lake and saw ice fishers far away – one of them was sitting while fishing, while the other one stood beside them – Hux wondered if he was planning on drilling another hole into the ice. 

Hux didn’t go ice fishing himself, but one of his father’s friends had enjoyed it when he was younger; he had taken Hux with him once, to show him how it was done. 12-year-old Hux hadn’t really seen the attraction in sitting in one place in the cold, trying to catch fish that wouldn’t bite, and had been rather bored. He had found the drill interesting, though. 

Hux heard barking and turned his head to see a Finnish Spitz rolling in the snow, its golden fur speckled with white – the snow was dry enough that it didn’t really stick, so most of it fell off when the dog shook itself. It looked very similar to Jeri, their neighbour’s hunting dog from when he was a child – Hux had sometimes taken him for walks when the neighbour didn’t have time to take him to the forest, and had been pulled after the dog when the Spitz was feeling particularly eager – Hux had always been a skinny kid. 

The dog was accompanied by a human wrapped completely in black – Hux flushed when he realized that it was the hot goth guy he sometimes saw in the neighborhood. He was looking less gothic and more Michelin Man now as he struggled with the dog in thick winter clothing. 

“No, baby, don’t-” the man managed before the dog slipped his hold. 

The dog ran straight at Hux, clearly planning on making friends, and Hux smiled at it, bracing for impact. It jumped against his legs, and shuffled excitedly as he bent down to pet it, sneakily reaching for the leash. 

“Oh, you got her, thank you,” the man said as he reached them. “Damn dog always tries to slip her leash. She’s used to running free, but I can’t let her go, she doesn’t really listen to me.” 

“Not your dog then?” Hux asked, looking at the man. He wasn’t wearing eyeliner this time, but still looked good. 

“No, I’m dogsitting for a friend – he and his boyfriend went on a trip and needed someone to look after her, and I needed to get out of the house, so I was happy to come over.” 

“You don’t live here, then?” Hux asked, oddly disappointed, and also confused – he had seen the man several times in the area. 

“I go to school here, but I live with my uncle an hour’s drive away – my old apartment had mold, so I had to move out fast. I haven’t found a new place yet, so my friend’s been letting me crash in their guest room sometimes – both to save time with travel and because I don’t really get along with my uncle – he’s an old hippie who eats organic and believes in chakras and crystals and stuff like that.” 

“Ah,” Hux said with a grimace. “I can see how that could be infuriating.” 

He could understand eating organic food, but chakras and crystals were silly superstitions – his mother had been interested in things like that, but father despised such things – he said that only the weak-minded wasted their time and money on such things. 

“Right? Anyway, I’m Kylo. Nice to meet you, sorry that baby ran over you.” 

“I’m Hux. Why do you call the dog baby?” 

“ _What?_ ” The man asked, his eyes widening. “Baby?” 

“Isn’t that what you just said?” Hux asked, confused. 

“ _Baby?_ No… I said – oh. No, the dog’s name is BB8. As in the letter B, twice, and eight. It’s a reference to some movie or something, I don’t even know. Poe’s boyfriend is a geek and it’s his dog. Well, theirs now, since they moved in together.” 

“Oh,” Hux said. “That makes more sense.” 

BB8 was rolling in the snow again, until she suddenly sprang up to sprint towards an approaching dog. Kylo held her back, his shoes slipping a little on the snow. 

Hux chuckled. “She reminds me of my old neighbour’s dog, Jeri – named after Jerry Cotton. He used to drag me around the neighborhood when his owner was too busy to take him out.” 

“You from around here then?” Kylo asked. 

“Not originally, but I came here to study.” 

“Same here – my parents live far up north. I get along with them even less than with my uncle.” 

“More hippies?” Hux grinned. 

Kylo shook his head. “No – a mayor and a truck driver. Dad didn’t approve of me going to the university instead of a “real school” and mom didn’t approve of my major – she wanted me to pick something with a direct line to high-paying jobs, not history and sociology, especially because I have no interest in teaching.” 

“Ah – I’m taking marketing and business, mainly. I had a couple of sociology courses. Do you take any of Mitaka’s classes?” 

“Yes, he has many of the basic courses in my department – he’s kind of a push-over, but his exams are easy to pass and he grades essays fairly.” 

“I agree. He’s also not a bad lecturer – he’s certainly more interesting than the other one who droned on like he was fed up with life.” 

“Snoke?” 

“That’s the one,” Hux said. 

Hux’s thighs were starting to burn – he _should_ have worn another pair of long johns on top of these – but he didn’t want to leave. Kylo was fun to talk with and pleasant to look at. He shuffled a little and pulled his hat lower. He should keep moving – it was too cold to simply stand around. 

“Hey – this may be a little forward, but do you want to walk with us?” Kylo asked. “I like talking to you, but it’s a bit cold for standing around and BB is getting impatient.” 

The dog _was_ getting restless, pulling and biting the leash. 

“Sure,” Hux agreed. “Where are you going?” 

“Poe lives on the other side of the lake – we were planning on going round and then inside. Do you want to come over for some coffee? Or tea, I think they had tea, too.” 

“Won't your friend mind you inviting strangers to his home?” 

“You’re not really a stranger, are you?” Kylo winked. “I’ve seen you around. Plus I doubt you want to steal their crappy couch or Xbox.” 

“True. I don’t have much time for games anyway. I prefer Netflix for relaxing.” 

“Poe and Finn have a subscription! I’ve been watching random shows instead of studying. I even watched Shadowhunters yesterday, I got so bored.” 

“Is that the one with the hot warlock and his boyfriend? My friend watches it with her girlfriend sometimes.” 

“That’s the one! They just went on their first date and it was really embarrassing. Apparently the warlock has 17000 exes and the boyfriend only the one he dumped on the altar for the warlock. 17000! Can you imagine that?” 

“Wow. And I thought Captain Jack was bad. Or Sara, for that matter.” 

“Legends of Tomorrow? Did you watch the new episode yet? I was planning on watching it today.” 

“No, I was supposed to watch it with Phasma after we came back today, but she dumped me because the weather is apparently too cold for her. I assume that in reality she just didn’t want to leave her girlfriend to spend time with me.” 

“Well, that’s her loss and my gain,” Kylo smiled. “You can get back at her by watching it with me. I will even feed you – I made pizza last night and there’s plenty left.” 

“Do I dare to ask what’s on this pizza?” Hux asked. “How badly have you been influenced by your hippie uncle?” 

“Only minced meat, jalapeno, onion and peach.” 

“Tell me that you’re joking,” Hux stared at him. “ _Peach?_ On pizza?” 

“Well Poe didn’t have any pineapple and I was too lazy to go shopping after walking this one for over an hour. I figured that if peach works in chicken pizza, it should work elsewhere, too.” 

“Of course you would put pineapple onto pizza,” Hux said, rolling his eyes. 

“Hey! Pineapple is good!” 

“Whatever. I’ll try your freaky pizza, but if I end up in the hospital, I’ll make you pay.” 

“I’m actually a very good cook,” Kylo protested. “My uncle makes me cook when I’m there because he is really bad at using seasonings.” 

“I guess we’ll see,” Hux grinned.” 

\---

The pizza was, in fact, very good. One of the best Hux had eaten, in spite of the odd toppings. Kylo had managed to find green tea for him – he preferred it to black – and had made coffee for himself. Now they were bundled on the couch watching Netflix with a hot drink in hand, empty plates on the coffee table, and with BB8 dozing on the floor. 

“I can’t believe that they killed Sara!” Kylo exclaimed. “Sara!” 

“Please, as if they could keep her dead – they tried that on Arrow and fans put up such a fuss that they had to bring her back.” 

“I guess,” Kylo said, and stretched his legs. They brushed against Hux. 

“See, I was right,” Hux exclaimed just moments later. 

Kylo smiled at him. 

\---

Legends of Tomorrow was followed by a movie and then they got stuck talking until Hux suddenly realized that it was past 9 p.m. He jumped up, making the worn brown leather coach groan. 

“Shit, I should get going,” he exclaimed. “I need to feed Millicent, she’s going to be _so_ pissed off.” 

“That’s your cat, right?” Kylo asked. 

“Yes, and she’s used to getting food around 8 p.m.” 

“Well, someone’s in trouble,” Kylo grinned. “Yoda once shredded my mom’s favorite skirt when they forgot to feed him. He’s a sphinx – looks like a grumpy bald goblin.” 

“Cats. Big divas who assume that we mere mortals want to worship them.” 

“Exactly. Hey, want me to walk you back? BB8 needs to pee before bed anyway.” 

“You don’t need to come all the way, but I wouldn’t say no to some company.” 

It was pitch black outside and they avoided the shadowy path right next to the lake, taking the well-lit pedestrian route instead. It was a little longer, but took less time because they could actually see where they were stepping. Their breaths created white clouds and Hux shivered, feeling really underdressed now, for the temperature had dropped at least five degrees. 

Kylo put an arm across his shoulder and pulled him close. 

“You look like you’re freezing. Are you sure you don’t want us to walk you home all the way?” 

“I’m fine,” Hux said with chattering teeth. He pulled his scarf up so it covered his cold, reddening nose. 

“Will you come back out with us tomorrow?” Kylo asked. “We could try throwing two sticks for BB8 and see if she’ll explode from joy.” 

“I’m pretty sure that her owners would have some complaints for you, if you made their baby explode,” Hux grinned. 

“Probably, but I don’t care,” Kylo grinned. “So, you coming?” 

“I might as well,” Hux agreed. “As long as it doesn’t drop to -20 degrees. That might be a bit too much for me.” 

“It’s -19 right now,” Kylo pointed out. 

“I know, and I’m freezing my ass off,” Hux complained. 

“Fine, fine, we’ll talk about it in the morning. I’ll text you.” 

They exchanged an awkward hug before parting ways. 

\---

In the morning it was -18C, with the broadcast stating that the temperature was unlikely to rise past -16C. Hux put on two pairs of long johns, a long-sleeved shirt underneath the thick sweater, and the fluffy leg-warmers Jyn had knit for him, as he went to see Kylo. He and BB8 were already at the lake and they did throw a stick for her, but she didn’t explode. It was probably for the best. 

As they walked toward Poe’s place, snow crunching under their feet, Hux couldn’t help smiling happily. Maybe he should thank Phasma for being a quitter. 

Nah. He sent her a text instead: “Watched LoT. Sara dies!” 

Kylo read it over his shoulder and chuckled. “That’s evil.” 

“I am.” 

The self-satisfied smirk on his face was swiped away when Kylo kissed him. 

“Sorry, you just looked too deviously cute,” Kylo said as he pulled back. 

“Shut up,” Hux replied and kissed him back. 

When he pulled back and the cold took to every wet spot on his lips, Hux remembered why kissing in the freezing weather was not a good idea. He also didn’t care. 

They made a trip to the grocery store – Hux held BB8 while Kylo picked up what he needed – and Hux chopped vegetables while Kylo cooked. It was very domestic and he thought that he could get used to it. 

He ignored Phasma’s disgruntled messages for a while – ranging from “you bastard” to “dirty little liar” – and finally sent her a photo of their entwined hands saying “busy now”. Kylo chuckled when Hux showed it to him and kissed him again. Hux leaned against him and focused on the movie. He could worry about the upcoming exam tomorrow – today was all for them. 

**Author's Note:**

> If I feel inspired, I might write a sequel with close to zero weather just so I can grumble about that.


End file.
